The Robin Jr Chronicles
by Stacey Dawe
Summary: Before she met Alice, Robin Hood Jr had a lot to go through. This work will be multiple chapters and tell stories of Robin's childhood experiences and how people in her life help her navigate having a unique developmental condition.
1. Mystery

Sheriff Emma Swan was paged by the hospital. Apparently there was an angry customer getting a little violent. This wasn't too out of the ordinary, she would get them to calm down and then find out what was wrong. Having magic came in handy in her work as sheriff. She was able to poof her way to places where she was needed in an instant. It also made it easier to restrain people if necessary and occasionally fight other magic users. She poofed her way to the hospital and entered Dr. Whale's office. There was Zelena, formerly known as the Wicked Witch Of The West, throwing things at Dr Whale and raising her arms in a threatening manner. Emma intervened, placing herself between Zelena and Whale.

"Zelena, hey, I'm gonna need you to calm down" Emma said

"HE WON'T TELL ME WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY DAUGHTER!" Zelena screamed, in a tearful voice.

"Okay, I'm gonna talk to him about it, but I need you to calm down first" Emma said, empathetically but sternly "go to your happy place".

"I HAVEN'T GOT ONE!" Zelena screamed, stomping her foot "I HAVEN'T GOT TIME FOR HIPPIE NONSENSE, MY DAUGHTER IS IN PAIN AND SHE ISN'T SLEEPING ENOUGH!"

Robin, the baby, lay on a nearby table fussing. Zelena continued to scream "IF I HAD MY MAGIC I'D…"

"Well I have my magic" Emma reminded her, sternly but calmly "and I will use it on you if I have to."

Zelena hung her head, sobbing

"Zelena, look at me" Emma said, calmly.

Zelena looked up, making eye contact with Emma.

"When you gave up your magic for us, Regina and I promised to look after your baby, and that is what I intend to do. Just chill and let me see what I can figure out".

Zelena quieted down. Emma turned her attention to Dr Whale.

"I tried to explain to her" Dr Whale said "I don't know what's wrong with the baby. Her bones are growing abnormally fast but I have ruled out every possible cause that I know about. Nothing in my medical knowledge from this realm or the realm I came from explains this. The only thing I can recommend, and I really hate when I have to recommend this, is to go to someone who has knowledge of magic".

Emma turned her attention back to Zelena "I guess we're taking the baby to see Rumplestiltskin" she said.

Zelena was not looking forward to it.


	2. Answers

Emma and Zelena were at Gold's shop, watching him give Baby Robin a checkup. Upon finishing, he was ready to explain to them what was happening with the baby.

"Well the good news" he began "is there is absolutely nothing wrong with her sleep cycle".

"What are you talking about!" Zelena said angrily "she isn't sleeping the recommended amount".

"Oh but she is" Rumple explained "for a child her age".

Zelena and Emma were both very confused.

"She is aging a little faster than normal" Rumple said matter-of-factly "I used this type of spell on a few of my enemies to make them grow old faster".

Zelena and Emma gave him horrified looks.

Rumple put his hand up to motion for them to stay calm.

"Relax" he said "that won't happen to her. Because she got this while young, it will wear off once she becomes a young woman. She will live a long and healthy life, but her childhood will be complicated. This cannot be cured, only treated. The abnormal bone growth isn't a big deal, I can give you potion to manage that, but she will reach many developmental milestones with less time to have prepared than normal. She will learn some skills later in her development than she should. I am no expert on child development, Hopper and Whale will have to assist you in managing some of that. The effects of this condition, physical, psychological, emotional, and behavioural, will be difficult to predict".

"How did this happen?" Emma asked "did somebody curse her".

"No ordinary magic user did this" Rumple said "this can only be from a dark one". He pointed his finger, accusingly, at Emma "you did this".

"What?!" Exclaimed Emma.

"You with your dark onion rings sped up her pregnancy, did you consider what would happen to the baby?"

During her time as the dark one, the darkness had made Emma less inclined to think through the consequences of her actions. She had been selfishly working towards her goal of covering up the fact that she had turned Hook dark, she had given little thought to any collateral damage. Now her eyes widened in horror, realizing the weight of what she had inflicted on an innocent child.

Zelena was securing the baby inside her carrier. Then she looked at Emma, angrily.

"YOU DID THIS TO US!" She shouted at Emma "I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"

As Zelena slammed the door, Emma winced in shame.

"What a mess you have caused this time" Rumple said to her.

Emma was determined to make this right somehow.


	3. Anger

Zelena was at her house, playing with Baby Robin. Robin was inside her crib and Zelena was waving toy keys at her. Robin playfully touched the toy keys.

"You're gonna need a bigger play area soon" said Zelena.

Regina was visiting. Zelena had just finished explaining the situation with Robin's development to her. She left Robin to entertain herself with the toys for a few moments while she returned to sipping coffee.

"Well things are certainly a bit complicated" said Regina "I think one of the first things we need to do is get you an appointment with Archie".

Zelena groaned. She didn't enjoy touchy-feely talk about her feelings.

"Every parent who finds out their child has special needs goes through a sort of grieving process" Regina reasoned "Archie can help. He helped me a lot when I was a new parent. Bonding with a baby that I didn't carry in my womb had its challenges".

"Fine" Zelena huffed "but at least his fake education you gave him with your dark curse prepared him for helping adoptive mothers, my family is now dealing with something nobody has ever seen before. How can I know I won't completely fail".

"You will have a lot of support" said Regina "Me, Archie, the Charmings, and Emma will want to help more than ever now".

Zelena scowled, angrily.

"What makes you think I'll let Emma near my baby?" Zelena asked angrily "she's the cause of all this".

Robin tried to stand up, but fell on her bum. She made a gurgling sound.

"Really?" Asked Regina "Snow and Charming let you play with their baby and you were going to sacrifice him to cast a time spell stopping most of their loved ones from being born".

Zelena felt ashamed upon being reminded of her past wicked deeds but she tried not to let it show.

"Emma was the dark one at the time, she has more of an excuse than either of us do for the things we did. Cut her some slack".

Zelena went back to playing with the baby and smiled slightly. Regina also turned her attention to Robin.


	4. Guilt

Emma went to visit her parents after work, along with Killian.

"How was work today, honey" asked Snow White. Snow and David with on the floor, playing with their baby Neal.

"Awful" said Emma "I found out I ruined an innocent child's life".

David and Snow both looked up, with concerned and bewildered looks on their faces. They waited for a few moments for Emma to elaborate.

"Explain?" David finally requested.

Emma had already explained the situation to Killian on the way over.

"It seems the dark one onion rings….had far reaching consequences" Killian elaborated, trying to make it easier for Emma.

Emma explained the rest of the story.

"I thought all I did was speed up a pregnancy, I didn't know I was messing up someone's entire childhood" Emma concluded, slouching onto a chair. Killian was sitting on a couch nearby.

"Well that is a setback for Robin and Zelena" Snow White said, in her usual habit of sugarcoating things.

David stood up and started speaking, seemingly having read Snow's mind, and continued Snow's thought "but we'll work together and help them through it, because that's what heroes do".

Emma had predicted this was exactly what her parents would say. What she wanted to know was what specific ideas they would have to help the situation.

"Zelena and Robin are coming here in a few days for a playdate with Neal" Snow said "I know a lot about child development, we can talk to her then".

"Please, just don't overwhelm her" Emma said "no offence but you two come on a bit strong sometimes. Don't talk about every problem on the horizon all at once, Zelena just needs to deal with this one little step at a time".

A knock came at the door.

"It's open!" David called.

Regina walked in. Emma looked up at her with an apologetic look for what she had done to Regina's niece.

"Zelena told me about what's happening with Robin" Regina announced "I convinced her to see Archie about it so he can help her with her emotional reaction".

"Thank-you" Emma said quietly.

"She'll forgive you" Regina said to Emma "she just needs a little time. Robin is going to need you as she gets older. She's going to need your compassion and understanding. She's going to need guidance to learn right and wrong. You will have plenty of opportunity to redeem yourself for this mess".

Emma was comforted by this, and smiled a still somewhat guilty but comforted smile.


	5. Therapy

Zelena sat across from Archie, with Robin in her arms.

"Regina explained the situation to me" Archie said "I know you must be going through a grieving process. Robin's childhood won't be what you thought it would be, but it can still be a good one".

"I'm barely equipped to be a mother" said Zelena "much less under these circumstances"

Robin pawed at Zelena's face, then hugged it.

"Robin seems to think you're ready" said Archie with a smile.

"I just have so many feelings t work through and limited time to do so" Zelena said sadly.

"There are a lot of emotions usually associated with grief" said Archie "denial, bargaining, anger, depression, but eventually acceptance"

"I'm not in denial" said Zelena "but I am angry at Emma!"

"That is understandable" said Archie "but does being angry at Emma really help the situation? Robin is going to need supportive people in the community. Isn't it better to make Emma an ally?"

Zelena let out a frustrated huff.

"I don't expect you to forgive her all at once. Just let it it settle a bit. You forgave her before for her actions as the dark one and she forgave you for a lot of things too".

"It's just so hard to think about" Zelena said "knowing how fast her childhood will go by, I don't want to miss a moment". She nuzzled her nose against the baby's.

"A natural reaction" Archie said, leaning forward "but I don't think it would be good for Robin's development to have you hover all the time. She needs to have her own independence and you do too. Maybe it's time you get involved in the community more. It would be a good way to have a positive influence on your daughter. Maybe get a job".

"Oh please" Zelena moaned "last time I had a job around here I was secretly planning to take my boss's baby. Who would ever want to work with the Wicked Witch Of The West?"

"Just something to think about" Archie said "do you have any other connections to the community? Any friends?"

"Well there's my sister" answered Zelena "and Belle but she and Rumple seem to be thinking about leaving to see the world. Then there's the Charming's, who I used to find too sickeningly sweet to be around but somehow they found a way to grow on me. Even weeds have their place".

Archie chuckled. "They can be a little much" he agreed.

"We have a playdate with little Neal soon" Zelena said, tickling Robin's belly. Robin laughed. "We're excited, aren't we?" Zelena said with a smile.

"That's good" said Archie "connections with others is important".

Zelena smiled while bouncing the laughing baby.

"We need to prepare for the future" said Archie "but we also need to tackle things a step at a time".


	6. Playdate

Baby Robin and Baby Neal both sat on the rug playing. Although Neal was technically older than Robin, she was beginning to surpass him in size. Both babies were working on learning how to stand up and try to walk. Neal's parents and Robin's mother watched as Neal stood up, then Robin, then Neal again, then Robin, until soon the babies were competing to see who could stand up the longest, occasionally making noises at eachother and clapping their hands in excitement.

"That's my boy!" David said, cheering on Neal "You're the strongest baby here".

Snow elbowed David and scolded him "We are not making this into a competition" she said "they will reach their milestones when they reach them".

Zelena had a slight frown on her face at being reminded that Robin would be coming at her milestones in an unpredictable fashion. Right now, Robin had strength to stand up but was lacking in experience. This type of disparity was going to cause some issues throughout her childhood. Snow sensed what was up.

"About Robin, I have been thinking the last few days about how her education will have to be a little different. As you know, Regina's curse gave me false memories that make me kind of an expert in education" Snow said.

"Where do your fake memories say you went to school, anyway?" David asked, curiously.

"Mostly Storybrooke University" Snow answered "but with a few distance courses from the University Of Maine. I actually have the transcripts the curse created but I doubt the University of Maine has any record of me taking those courses".

Neal was now playing with a toy school bus while Robin started playing with some rubber toys.

"Anyway" Snow continued "when it comes time for Robin to go to school, I'd like to help advocate for her. Of course that's still a little ways away, I don't want to plan too far ahead all at once".

"Thank-you" Zelena said, although she was a bit stressed out thinking about this.

Robin began hitting Neal hard with a rubber toy. Neal started crying.

"Robin, NO!" Zelena shouted, snatching the toy.

Now Robin was upset and screaming too. Zelena thought maybe she had reacted a little harshly. Snow and Zelena both picked up their babies and died to calm them down.

"Oh, Mommy loves you" Zelena said to Robin, apologetically, while bouncing her up and down "it's because I love you, I can't have you hurting the other babies. Please understand".

Robin probably didn't fully understand but the bouncing soothed her. Still she soon wanted to be laid back down and started reaching for the floor.

"Oh, alright" Zelena said "but you have to play nice this time".

Neal had calmed down too and both babies were soon back on the rug, inspecting the toys around them. Snow returned to her conversation with Zelena.

"I don't want to overwhelm you" Snow said "but you know she's going to also need special attention in her physical development. You know, David and I are friends with the gym teacher Frederick".

"I saved him from being stuck as a golden statue for life" David added.

"Didn't you sleep with his wife?" Zelena asked. She knew this was a terribly inappropriate thing to bring up but she had a nasty habit of speaking before she thought it through".

"We don't talk about that!" Snow said, sharply.

"Anyway" said David "We can certainly talk to him about helping with Robin's physical education".

"Thank-you" Zelena said, though she was overwhelmed. She decided to look at the newspaper, the Daily Mirror, to distract herself from the stress.

"What are you going to do while Robin's in school?" Snow asked.

Zelena let out an irritated groan. She was finally at her breaking point with all this talk about the future.

"Not you too" She groaned "The cricket thinks I should get a job! What in the blazes would I do? Work at a school like you?"

Suddenly, she looked up and saw Robin get up and take her first steps. Zelena cheered and picked up Robin to give her a big hug.

"You took your first steps! Mommy is so proud!" she said. Robin laughed with glee. Snow and Charming looked on, smiling.

After Zelena eventually laid Robin back down, the newspaper that was still in her hand managed to recapture her attention.

"Oh Gods" she said "the writing in this paper is rapidly going downhill. The comic strips are reusing the same two drawings over and over, the trivia is poorly researched, the puzzles are easier than the baby game of putting shapes in the correct holes, and the actual news is written like it was put through a blender".

"You know, I think the Daily Mirror might have an opening for a quality assurance manager" David said.


	7. The Raichu Effect

It had been a while since Rumplestiltskin diagnosed Robin with her fast development condition. Robin was becoming more independent, walking more, and starting to speak a little. Like most toddlers, she was fond of saying "no". The Daily Mirror was interested in hiring Zelena to work with them as a quality assurance manager, but Zelena was having a difficult time accepting that she needed her own life, independent from Robin. She scarcely let Robin out of her sight, which was causing Robin to rebel more. She would throw rattles at Zelena and knock over things at the grocery store. She would try to run in the grocery store but her muscles weren't able to sustain a run. When Zelena would try to discipline Robin, she found herself alternating between being too stern and scaring Robin and being too permissive. Archie, Regina, Snow, Charming, and pretty much everyone else tried to persuade Zelena that Robin would benefit from having someone else babysit her while Zelena finally went to work, but Zelena wasn't trusting anybody enough. She felt that nobody but her understood Robin enough. She couldn't start sending Robin to day care because Robin wasn't ready for group socialization yet.

One day, at the Charming House, Snow, Charming, and Regina were filling Emma and Henry in on the difficult situation while waiting for Zelena and Robin to show up for another playdate.

"She has got to step back and let someone help her!" Regina said in frustration.

"Would you have let other people help you with Henry at that age?" David asked.

"Fair point" Regina conceded.

Zelena arrived. Robin tried to run away from her but stumbled and fell. She was persistent though and got back up again easily enough. She hugged her Aunt Regina. Henry held out his hand in a "give me five" kind of motion for Robin and she slapped it accordingly. Then she sat on the play-mat with Neal. Emma smiled at the sight of it. Robin was so cute and precious.

"Does she have to be here?" Zelena asked, angrily pointing towards Emma.

"Yes" David snapped.

Zelena rolled her eyes. Emma frowned, feeling suddenly a little out of place.

Robin fumbled around the play area until she found an alphabet chart.

"Can you name any of these letters?" Henry asked her.

Robin pointed at the "D" and said "C" then at the "T" and said "V", then at the "R" and said "M".

"Okay" said Henry "I guess we're not quite ready for that".

"But she knew the names of letters?" Snow said with confusion "how can she know the correct names and still get them so mixed up?"

"Let me try something" Henry said, opening up a baby book about animals "What's this, Robin?" he asked, pointing at a sheep.

"Duck" said Robin.

Henry tried seeing if she could identify a pig.

"Cow" said Robin.

Everybody was getting worried. It was apparent that Robin knew the names of categories of things but couldn't categorize them correctly.

Snow searched her mind for her knowledge of education to try and solve this puzzle.

"Kids this age usually know how to sort objects" Snow said "she must have missed something in her development".

"the Raichu effect" Henry said "It's a nickname I gave a concept I learned in psychology class. In the Pokemon anime, Ash's Pikachu is able to beat Lt. Surge's Raichu, a more evolved form of Pikachu, because Raichu evolved too fast and missed out on learning certain skills".

"Yes!" Snow said, now putting things together in her head "it happens sometimes in education. A kid will struggle with some concepts because they moved ahead without learning foundational skills".

Neal started playing with a shape sorter toy, the kind where you have to put the shapes in the correct holes.

"That toy" said Snow "it serves a dual purpose for most babies of developing fine motor skills and also learning to categorize things".

"Robin never played with those very much" Zelena said "I think she has outgrown them".

"By developing physical skills too quickly, she missed learning to categorize things" Emma concluded.

"Well, what can we do about it now!" Zelena asked, rising her arms and her voice in frustration "she's too far along to play with that type of toy!"

"Maybe a special girl needs special toys" Emma answered.

Emma closed her eyes and started concentrating on doing a spell. Everyone else watched expectantly.

Emma magically conjured up a game, the likes of which none of them had seen before. It was a simple sorting activity but looked interesting enough to appeal to an older toddler. It had a pile of shapes, some simple and others more complex, that Robin could slide to a matching area on he opposite side of the board. When she got it right, she would be rewarded with a light and funny sounds. When she got it wrong, it would bounce back so she could try again. It was all in primary colours. Robin took to this game instantly.

"Thank-you, Emma" Zelena said, almost teary-eyed.

"I really do want to help with this" Emma assured her.

"I believe it now" said Zelena "I never should have doubted it".

"Now you" Emma said to Zelena "need to start that job at the newspaper "how about you let me and Regina take Robin some afternoon soon"


	8. Babysitting

"Okay, Dear" Zelena said, bending down to talk to Robin "Mommy's going away for a few hours so be good to Auntie Regina and Emma and do what they tell you".

"Bye-bye!" Robin said enthusiastically. She loved her mother but was tired of being fussed over all the time. Zelena reluctantly left.

"Play!" Robin said when Zelena was gone.

"Okay" said Emma "what do you want to play?"

Robin went over to her building blocks. She had been waiting for a chance to play with them more freely, since Zelena had trouble letting her build independently. Robin built a tall pyramid, with a little assistance from Regina and Emma when she wanted it. After the building was done, Robin was feeling a little restless. She decided to test limits by throwing blocks at Emma and Regina.

"No" Emma said firmly "we just helped you, you be nice to us".

"No" said Robin, continuing the assault.

Emma and Regina looked at each other.

"I think she needs a little time-out" said Regina.

Emma picked up Robin and carried her away from the blocks and into a corner with no stimulus.

"No" Robin said again.

"Yes" said Emma "you stay here until Regina gets your snack ready, or no snack".

"Yes snack" said Robin, defiantly.

"In a minute" Emma said.

Robin started trying to fight her way out of the corner. Emma stayed firm. Robin wasn't sure she liked Emma now. Fortunately, the snack was ready soon and Emma let Robin run to the kitchen table to eat. Once Robin finished her ice-cream, she said "throw blocks".

"You could throw blocks" Emma said "but wouldn't you rather have more ice-cream".

"I don't think bribery is the best way to handle the child" Regina said.

"Come on, it's not that big of a deal" Emma said.

"I object to this" Regina said but reluctantly got some more ice-cream anyway. She was fully expecting Robin would blackmail them into giving her a third helping, but Robin behaved and went on to play the sorting game Emma gave her after her second helping. The rest of the afternoon went by without much trouble. Eventually Robin went over to her blocks again. Emma and Regina prepared for another attack but were impressed when Robin cleaned up the blocks and put them back in their box. Emma and Regina both praised her for it. When Zelena came home, Robin had had enough of a break and ran towards her with a big hug.


	9. Daycare

After a while, Robin was finally ready to begin daycare. She had met Cinderella a couple of times and Cinderella was aware of her unique situation. She was also warned that Robin could be aggressive at times. Zelena drove Robin to daycare in her car, despite her frustrations with driving.

"Is Neal going to daycare too?" Robin asked.

"No, he's not ready yet" Zelena answered. She wondered how long it would take Robin to realize she was developing faster than Neal.

"Hi, ath-ley" Robin said to Cinderella as she arrived, using Cinderella's Storybrooke name. Ashley introduced Robin to some of the other kids. Zelena stayed for a while to watch and make sure Robin was adjusting okay. Meeting more than one other kid at a time was unusual for Robin. It scared her a little but she found she got along fine with them. She sat on a rug and played with some toy vehicles the way she did with Neal. Zelena breathed a sigh of relief that things seemed to be going okay and then left. Unfortunately, once she realized her Mom was gone, Robin got some mischievous impulses. She had yet to test what Ashley would let her get away with. She saw another girl playing with a ball. She took the ball and hid it behind her back.

"No, mine" the other girl said.

"I no got it" Robin said, showing her hands empty.

The other girl didn't quite grasp the idea of object permanence yet and thought the ball had disappeared. She started fussing. Ashley had to intervene. She made Robin give back the ball, gently scolding her. Then she tried distracting Robin by taking her to play with the blocks. This may have been a mistake. Robin got frustrated when a boy took some of the blocks she was using. Neither kid really understood sharing yet. Robin hit the boy with a block. He started crying. This time Ashley put Robin on a time-out and made a mental note she needed to teach about sharing. After that things went smoother for a while. Robin was attentive during story time, she liked hearing stories. Then came nap time. Robin didn't fall asleep. She had never seen other kids sleep before and was fascinated. She poked and prodded at some of the other kids. After nap time, Robin talked to some of the other kids and had fun. That was until a boy bit her. She bit him back. Ashley gave them both a time-out. Soon the day was over and Zelena came to pick up Robin. Ashley told her how the day went.

On the drive home Zelena said "I'll let the biting thing slide this time, you were provoked, but we need to work on NOT hurting other kids".

Robin nodded.

"Hey Mommy" Robin said.

"yes?" Zelena replied.

"Who is my Daddy?" Robin asked "Neal has a Daddy, and the other kids at daycare have Daddies? Where is mine?"


	10. Robin Hood

Zelena was visiting with Regina while Robin was at daycare. They sat across the couch from one another.

"She wants to know about her father" Zelena told her "What am I supposed to tell her? I barely knew him. I can't tell her I tricked him into conceiving her, it'll traumatize her!"

Regina had no idea what to say. She didn't enjoy being reminded how her sister had stolen her soulmate away from her, basically raped him, and later was sort of responsible for his death. At the moment she struggled to remember why she forgave Zelena for all that. Zelena's current predicament was her own doing. Luckily, Henry arrived at that moment and broke some of the tension.

"Hello, Henry" Regina said "we're trying to figure out what to tell Robin about her father that won't traumatize her". Now he was caught up on what was happening.

"How can I explain to her that I barely knew the man?" Zelena lamented "One of the few things I do know is how important it was to him to be a good role model for Robin Now he doesn't have a chance". For the first time Zelena was really feeling the loss of Robin Hood and wished he was around to be part of their daughter's life. The room went silent with melancholy.

"I think there may be a way Robin Hood can still get his wish" Henry said. Zelena and Regina both looked at him in anticipation.

"Using my author powers" Henry explained "I have fine-tuned my ability to gleam stories that happened to people from the book. I can make Robin a book with her father's stories. None of the stuff we don't want her to know yet, just the stuff he would have wanted her to know. The stories that can teach her about courage, honour, and loyalty. The ones where she can get to know him, both his heroism and failures, the stories where she can learn from his experiences and he can be the role model he wanted to be for her".

Zelena and Regina were both teary-eyed.

"I'd like a copy of that book too" Regina said. "You got it" said Henry.

It took about a month to complete but Henry wrote a book for Robin about her father. Some of the stories showed a bit of a dark side to him but they all had a moral. They all showed him learning things that shaped the person he became. Once it was complete, Robin treasured it. People read her stories from it every night for a long time. Eventually she learned to read it herself. It helped shape her as a person. She had her father and his influence in her life, even if she didn't get to know him personally.


	11. Physical Education

Note: this is in the same continuity as my other OUAT fics, in particular _The Storybrooke Dodger _which explains Frederick's adopted son. Dodger, who was adopted by Emma in that story, will soon appear in this fic.

Robin's muscles were developing faster than she could cope with. Her body wanted to run but her mind was barely used to walking. Snow and Frederick had some ideas to help Robin keep up with herself. Zelena took Robin to see him at the school gymnasium. Zelena held Robin's hand as she walked. Robin was glad to meet a new person, especially one that was going to play challenging games with her.

"I hear you're having some trouble with moving around?" Frederick asked Robin.

"yeah" Robin said.

"My nephew, Henry, calls it the Raichu Effect" Zelena said "Her fast development makes her miss out on learning certain skills before advancing".

"Well, let's practice walking" Frederick said, taking Robin's hand. They walked around the gym, small laps at first then a little bigger.

"Do you think you can do this on your own?" Frederick asked Robin partway through a lap.

Robin nodded, confidently. Frederick let her hand go. "Show me" he said.

Robin finished the lap on her own and gave a triumphant grin.

"I bet you can't do a whole lap" Frederick challenged. Robin showed him by walking a whole lap.

Next Frederick challenged her to chase after a ball. She had fun for a while, until one of her attempts to grab the ball made her fall down. Robin was frustrated and threatened to turn Frederick into a flying monkey.

"Robin, be nice" Zelena chided, then she turned to Frederick "I'm sorry about that, I don't know where she learned that".

"You don't?" Frederick questioned "It sounds like something the Wicked Witch would say".

Zelena looked embarrassed.

"I have an adopted son, Harry" Frederick told her "He learned some bad stuff on the streets of Dickens' realm. Kids pick up stuff more than we tend to realize. But Katherine and I try to be good influences on him".

"Are you accusing me of being a bad mother?!" Zelena said angrily.

"I just think you need to be more careful of what kind of influence you have on her" Frederick said "especially with her accelerated maturity".

Zelena knew he was right but was too angry to say so. She didn't have much experience taking any accountability for her mistakes.

"I'll see you next week" she said begrudgingly, then took Robin home.


	12. Visit

Note: this is in the same continuity as The Storybrooke Dodger. See that fic for more info on how Emma and Killian came to adopt the Artful Dodger.

Emma was helping Zelena make dinner while Killian played with Robin. He had laid his hook aside, on an end table.

"I never used to cook much before Hook moved in with me" Emma said, while chopping carrots for the soup "I'm more the Ramen noodles and canned ravioli type. I'm not sure why you'd want my help with this".

"To be honest, I mostly just wanted some company" Zelena admitted.

Emma gave her a warm, friendly smile.

"Well next time, all you have to do is ask" Emma said.

Zelena gave a grateful smile.

Killian made funny faces while Robin ran around him in circles.

"I see her physical education is going well" Emma observed.

"Yes" Zelena said. Then Zelena hesitated, unsure if she should confide in Emma about her parental woes.

"What is it?" Emma asked "I can see there's something you want to get off your chest. Lay it on me".

"Frederic thinks I'm a bad influence on her" Zelena moaned "and he's probably right. Thanks to Henry's book, at least she has her father's influence too, but what does she have as a living role-model? The Wicked Witch Of The West! I'm one of pop-culture's most infamous villains!"

"Well" Emma said calmly "while I'm not an infamous movie villain, I had similar fears when I first met Henry. I was a flake with a criminal past, I was terrified I was a terrible influence on him. But I turned my life around and now here we are".

"How quaint and perfect" Zelena sneered.

Emma stopped what she was doing and glared at Zelena, waiting for an apology.

"There see?" Zelena said "I can't control my meanness".

"Yes you can" Emma said, trying hard to stay patient, while putting the chopped potatoes into the soup "It's like I always tell my son, the more you practice resisting those bad impulses, the less power they have over you".

"Henry?" Zelena asked, confused because as far as she knew Henry was a well-behaved boy, apart from frequently sneaking away from his Moms to go on some quest.

"My other son" Emma clarified. Zelena was visibly confused.

"I think we forgot to tell her" Killian said "it all happened so fast".

"Right" Emma said "Zelena, we weren't quite on speaking terms when it happened. The Artful Dodger and his gang tried to take over Storybrooke. We found homes for them. Killian and I adopted Dodger. He's seventeen but he didn't have much of a childhood so I think he'll be with us for a while".

"Oh yes" Zelena said "Frederic mentioned having a son from the realm Dickens wrote about".

"Ashley and Thomas adopted one too" Emma said "And Aurora and Phillip, and Jefferson, and Oliver Twist was adopted by Marco and August".

"And you trust all the boys to behave themselves?" Zelena asked.

"I've got them under contract to" said Emma "plus their leader lives in my house".

"Where is the Dodger right now?" Zelena asked.

"On a first date with Gretel" Killian said with a grin "sure took some coaxing to get that boy to make a move".

"They're gone to see Newsies on stage" Emma said.

"I'd like to meet this Dodger" Zelena said "how is he with kids?"

"Excellent" Emma said.

"You two should bring him here for dinner some time" said Zelena.

Suddenly, they realized nobody was watching Robin closely enough when she grabbed Killian's hook that had been laying on the end table.

"I'll take that, lass" said Killian, taking the hook from Robin and taking it out of her reach.

Unfortunately, Robin was determined. The hook began to levitate out of Killian's hand and slowly back down to Robin.

"Zelena, don't freak out" Emma said "but I think your kid is starting to learn magic".


	13. Blue Fairy

Before the hook could reach Robin's tiny hands, a mysterious benefactor and practitioner of magic suddenly made the hook disappear and reappear back in Killian's hand. Killian looked stunned, he wasn't sure who had performed this miracle. He looked at Emma.

"Did you do that?" he asked Emma.

Emma shook her head, her own eyes widened with surprise, wondering if she was about to have to fight another magic user. But the magic user who then appeared in the room was no villain, just Mother Superior AKA the Blue Fairy.

"I did" she said, barely notice everybody jumping in startlement.

"Who invited you into my home?" Zelena asked, with no interest in trying to be polite.

"I sensed that an underage person was performing magic and felt it my duty to come and make sure it was under control" Blue said, as though it was only natural to expect.

"Underage magic?" Emma asked, snidely "did you put the trace on her like the Ministry of Magic?"

"Nobody knows what you're referencing, love" Killian said.

"It's a Harry Potter thing" Emma said "anyway when did it become your responsibility to police magic, Mother Superior?"

"I am the guardian of what is right and true" Blue declared "I need to give this child guidance to not misuse her magic".

Robin tilted her head back and rolled her eyes, the way she had often seen her mother do it, and groaned "Oh, good lord!"

Emma and Killian chuckled.

"Now hold it right there" Zelena said, angrily "I decide who helps guide my child. And where the Hell were you when I started showing magic as a child? iWhen my father was trying to beat it out of me?"

"You were in Oz" Blue said.

"And where were you to stop Regina from misusing magic" Killian asked.

"By that time she was already a lost cause" Blue said.

"Regina was NOT a lost cause!" Emma shouted in defence of her friend.

Killian, Emma, and Zelena were getting ready to list multiple other magic users that Blue had failed to save from corruption but she had already had enough.

"What's past is past!" Blue declared "we've all made errors in judgement, the point is I'm here now".

"To teach her to be brave, truthful, and unselfish?" Emma asked sarcastically "August told me how you took decades to do that with him and he still screwed up after he came to this world".

"Your snide remarks will not deter me, Mrs Swan-Jones" Blue said "this child needs guidance, especially after how you interfered wit her growth".

Zelena wasn't having it.

"Do not intrude into my house and tell me what my child needs!" shouted Zelena "Emma, are you going to allow this?"

"Well..." Emma said.

"Well what?" Zelena demanded.

"I know I didn't go to school in the Enchanted Forest but I think fairy law may supersede human law" Emma said.

Zelena harrumphed. Killian giggled.

"So we have one more person to collaborate with in looking after Robin, let's make the most of it" said Emma "How's the soup coming along?"


	14. Dr Whale

"Well her reflexes are developing normally" Whale said at the end of Robin's checkup. "I'd say the only issue we have right now is the possibility of diseases such as measles".

"Isn't that what vaccines are for?" Zelena asked, in a testy voice. Whale was preoccupied with trying to keep Robin's hands away from his stethoscope.

"Yes" he said "but I cannot give her too many vaccines too fast, it is too risky. So with her fast development, some vaccines will have to be given when she is further in her development than they are normally given".

"I barely survived whooping cough when I had it at her age" Zelena said, worried.

"But you didn't have a modern doctor around" Whale said, confidently "I have compiled a list of symptoms for you to look for, and I have concocted these chewable pills for her if she gets them. I am obligated to warn you, they aren't approved by any medical board, nobody outside Storybrooke would understand the technology that went into them".

"Are they magic?" Zelena asked.

"Greater than magic" Whale chastised "they use technology from my original realm. Far greater than any magic".

"And I have to take the word of a man who famously defied ethical standards and created zombies" Zelena lamented.

"Do you want the medicine or not?" Whale asked, aggravated.

"Fine!' Zelena said, wickedly barring her teeth "but if it goes wrong, there are worse fates than being attacked by your own monster...like wearing your insides around your neck"

"Threats, really? In front of the child?" Whale scolded.

Zelena knew she needed to be more careful what she said infant of Robin, but refused to admit this to Whale.

"I don't need you to tell me what to say in front of my child" she sneered.

"Apologies" Whale said, insincere "I'm here to worry about her physical development. Let someone else worry about her moral development".


	15. Dinner With The Dodger

_This is in the same continuity as another fic of mine: The Storybrooke Dodger_

Emma, Killian, and their adoptive son Jack (AKA the Artful Dodger) went to Zelena's house for dinner. Zelena greeted them at the door and shook hands with Dodger. "It is good to meet you" she said. Robin looked up to see who was arriving. Usually she and Emma got along well but this time Robin wasn't happy to see Emma. She pointed at Emma and said "You did bad thing".

"What did I do?" Emma asked.

"You put spell on me" Robin said "made me different".

"Oh" Emma said guiltily, unsure what to say at that point.

"Sorry" Zelena said "that meddlesome blue fairy told her".

Robin went into her room to hide. Emma wasn't sure what to do. The child had finally found out she was responsible for all her problems. How could she explain herself?

"Lemme talk to her" The Dodger said, looking like he just had an amazing idea.

"Why do I feel like you're up to something?" Emma asked.

"Who me?" The Dodger said, feigning innocence. He knew Emma didn't buy it, but it was a sort of game they played. Emma looked nervous while Dodger went into Robin's room.

Robin was on her bed, playing with dolls.

"Twas a dirty trick Emma played on you, wasn't it?" Dodger said.

"Yeah" Robin said.

"Wanna play a dirty trick on Emma?" Dodger asked, with a glimmer in his eye.

"Yeah" Robin said, jumping up and down.

"I'll tell you a secret" Dodger said "Emma was almost eaten by a spider once".

About fifteen minutes later, Dodger called for Emma to come into the room. Emma opened the door, expecting to have to try and apologize to Robin. When she opened the door, she wound up walking straight into a wall of fake webbing. Emma screeched from the sudden reminder of her near-death experience. Dodger and Robin both laughed hysterically.

"Jack, are you teaching her to be bad?" Emma scolded.

Robin hugged Emma's leg.

"Hey, in her mind, now you're square" Dodger explained.


	16. Tests

As Robin matured, Snow White and Frederick began giving her tests to see when she would be ready to start Kindergarten. The tests were spread over multiple days and involved numerous categories; math, reading, writing, language acquisition, science, social studies, fine arts, physical and motor development, reasoning and concept development, and social/ethical behaviour. Some of these were more difficult than others. Sometimes Zelena was there, sometimes it was just Snow and Frederick. Throughout the tests, they gave her treats for motivation to attempt all the tasks they asked her to attempt. They found she was especially fond of cupcakes with green icing. Green reminded Robin of both her mother, and her father she only knew from the book Henry wrote for her.

They showed her a map of Storybrooke and asked her to identify places. She did well with that part but was unsure what people from various jobs did. She also lacked knowledge of history or culture. Robin passed any science tests she was given. She knew all about names of animals and types of weather, for instance.

For math they gave her tests on both counting and geometry. The toy Emma had made for her was good at training her in geometric concepts, and adapted to her learning. She was able to apply that knowledge to the tests in sorting items by size, shape, and colour. She knew how to order things from smallest to largest. She knew how to draw basic shapes too. She could also sort objects by weight and understood ideas like bigger and smaller. Unfortunately, she still had work to do in understanding numbers. When trying to count, she often got mixed up. Trying to count seven cupcakes, she said "1,2,3,4,2,3,4,5". She often did not know what number was next and went backwards. Or kept counting when she had already counted all the objects. Snow tried to help her keep track of what she already counted by moving the counted cupcakes to one side. Robin found this frustrating. She did not behave well when faced with a frustrating task. She wound up shoving the cupcake in Snow's nose and laughing. Robin did not get to eat any of those cupcakes that day.

They also tested Robin on reading, using the book Henry made for her about her father. As they expected from a kid at her stage of development, She was able to point to the pictures and say what was happening in them. She had had the book read to her many times by many different people. When given a bunch of pictures of Robin Hood, she was able to arrange them to tell a story. She still could not read words though, not even simple ones like "cat" or "dog". They would need to find a way to teach her that. She also couldn't quite articulate what characters were feeling in the story, and in general had trouble understanding other people's feelings. They tried to get her to practice writing the letters of the alphabet but this was something she apparently wasn't ready for. She would just take the pencil and draw spirals wantonly around the page. On the bright side, this was a good sign for artistic creativity. She was also good with colours and drawing objects like trees. She was also good at dancing to music and reciting nursery rhymes. Snow was a little concerned about some of the nursery rhymes Zelena was teaching Robin. Evidently, according to Zelena, the mouse gnawed his leg off to escape from a hole when the clock struck one.

Her physical and motor skills were coming along fine. She was good with running (Frederick was already imagining recruiting her for the track team one day) and with throwing and catching. Unfortunately, she still had a tendency to have temper tantrums when she wasn't able to do a new thing right away. She wanted to be good at everything she tried immediately. Snow and Frederick didn't always have the patience to discipline her and sometimes she got her way when she threw tantrums with them. They managed to get her to be a little more patient with putting together puzzles. The challenge excited her. She liked to climb things, sometimes a little too much. It was sometimes hard to get her to sit down. They managed to teach her how to cut paper and tie her shoes.

Language was coming easily to Robin. In fact, sometimes she got in trouble at day care for using too colourful language Zelena taught her. What she did need help with was constructively articulating her feeling, a job for Archie. Robin liked to tell stories. Sometimes she creatively stretched the truth. This would need to be reigned in a bit but at least she had a good imagination.

One area Snow was most concerned about was Robin's behaviour. She observed Robin at Day Care some days. Robin was progressing intellectually and would need to move on soon, but had difficulty with getting along with others. She teased other kids for not knowing things. She also showed little respect for other people's belongings, frequently taking things and putting them out of reach. Cinderella asked her once what her father would say. "My Dad stole things too" Robin said, not fully understanding her father was standing up to injustice when he stole things, while she was just being a bully. Cinderella sighed, knowing she had not thought that question through. Another issue Robin had was giving up on tasks too easily sometimes and then throwing tantrums. She didn't handle frustration well. Blue was trying to teach Robin morality but often just said things that went over Robin's head.

When they were finished testing Robin, Snow and Frederick reported what they had found to Zelena and it was agreed they would have Archie try and help iron out some of the issues before making Robin start kindergarten.


	17. Therapy Part 2

Zelena was beginning to bring Robin to see Archie weekly to try and find solutions to some of her issues. One day, Archie was trying to help Robin with her tantrums.

"It seems to make you upset when people ask you to do difficult things" Archie observed.

"Yeah!" Robin exclaimed, playing with her teddy bear.

"I have to do difficult things sometimes too" Archie said "Do you know what I do".

"Play" Robin said.

Archie chuckled.

"And what else?" He asked.

Robin didn't know how to answer and kept playing with the teddy bear.

"He talks to people" Zelena offered.

"Talk to people" Robin said.

"And some people are sure hard to talk to" Archie said.

"Like Blue" Robin said.

"I won't name anyone in particular" Archie said. He had people in mind he found difficult. Like Grumpy and Dr. Whale. But he wasn't going to encourage Robin to gossip about people.

"When I have difficulty talking to people" he continued "I try a different approach. If what I do isn't working I find another way to finish a task".

Robin was playing and seemingly not listening.

"Harder for me" Robin said "cause Emma did trick on me".

"Trick?" Archie questioned, looking at Zelena for an explanation.

"It's what Dodger has decided to call Emma's growth spell around her" Zelena explained "he says it softens the edge".

"That trick makes you special" Archie told Robin "It makes you able to do things nobody else can. It also gives you difficulties nobody else has, but we can look at those as opportunities to show what you can do".

Robin looked contemplative. Then she used magic to levitate the teddy bear.

"That's pretty neat" Archie said "I bet you couldn't always do that".

Robin shook her head.

"So you had to try something you didn't know how to do before you could make the bear fly?" He asked.

Robin nodded. Archie presented her with an eight-piece sliding puzzle with a picture of a turtle on it.

"Have you seen this before?" He asked.

Robin shook her head. Archie showed her how it worked. She tried to solve the puzzle while the teddy bear still floated above. When she began to get frustrated with the puzzle, she wasn't thinking about the teddy bear anymore. In frustration, she hit the puzzle on the floor. The teddy bear fell in her arms and she laughed and hugged the teddy bear.

"The teddy bear seems to calm you down" Archie observed "a good tool for next time you're frustrated".

"Yeah!" Robin exclaimed. Thens he kept trying at the puzzle.

"You can bring that puzzle home" Archie said "show me later when you solve it".

"Yeah!" Robin said, excitedly.


End file.
